Does God always grant bodily healing to those who are anointed?
Christians have faith that God is a loving Father who in wisdom “orders all things well” (Wis 8:1). It is always legitimate to pray that the cup of bodily suffering and illness may pass from us; but as disciples of the Savior we also pray: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will” (Mat 26:39; see Q266, Q390).
The Holy Scriptures bear witness to many miraculous healings, and also to the possibility that a Christian may not be delivered from bodily ailments: the Apostle Paul himself was afflicted by a “bodily ailment” (Gal 4:13–14); he left his companion Trophimus at Miletus because he was too sick to continue the journey (2Ti 4:20); and he instructed Timothy to “do not drink only water but use a little wine for your stomach and because of your frequent illnesses” (1Ti 5:23).
The Mystery of Unction reminds us that sin and disease are closely related (Psa 32; 51), and that the proclamation of the Gospel, with repentance, brings powerful spiritual and physical restoration. Yet, the complete and universal fulfillment of God’s healing belongs to the blessed hope of the age to come: “Behold, God’s dwelling is with humanity!… He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:3–4; see Q445, Q537).
